osewalrus

Kong Pocha is the second location of a Baltimore Korean pub in Columbia, in the spot where K-Manna briefly was (next to the noteworthy Boro Kabob off Snowden). Where K-Manna had all the personableness of a fast-food joint (while not being fast in the least), now the decor charmingly hints at pretending to be outdoors, with light-adorned awnings accenting the walls and tables separated by movable mini-fences. Rather than experimenting with many nifty offerings like rice bowls and omelets and noodles we had soy garlic chicken. The portion was sufficient for the both of us and came with mayo-slathered fries. The chicken reminded me of Seoul Pub - irregularly sized chunks like someone's grandma might make. I'm usually unexcited about fries, but the the mayo combination worked great.

Chin - located in Ellicott City over by Honey Pig - brands itself "A Xi-an Style Restaurant", that being (I learned) a location in Northern China. Their speciality is hand-torn noodles, most of which come in spicy or pork or spicy pork.

While the place had many vacant seats, we were directed to sign into the waiting list of zero on an electronic screen (which also permitted ordering take-out). We were seated within a couple of minutes, so no big deal, one supposes.

The waiter expertly guided us through the no-pork-or-spicy options. I went for Northwestern style beef noodles, was given a choice of wide or narrow noodles and confirmed that I didn't want any chili oil in it. This landed me a beefy, gingery broth with rice noodles and thin slices of fat-specked beef; I was reminded a bit of pho, not so much in the specific flavor profile as in the comfort-meal vibe. (The specks looked ominous, but did not make for problematic texture).

Spouse went for a seasonal mutton dish. The herby green broth concealed cellophane noodles and finely sliced vegetables, and came with separate little bowls of chilis (which for my sake Spouse skipped), scallions, thin slices of meat, and a pita-like flatbread. That last item was dried to a nearly-cracker consistency, and we were instructed to break it into whatever-sized pieces one chose and throw them in the broth. If my soup was a warm blanket, this one was a picnic on the lawn. I added the beverage described verbosely as "Chinese Osmanthus Sour Plum Drink (Suan Mei Tang)", which was reminiscent of the better less-sweet grades of plum wine in non-alcoholic form, and I should see about finding that in a store sometime. Enough of soup leftovers came home with us to make a serviceable lunch next day. Definitely a place to revisit... though possibly on a cooler, cloudier day.

Ellicott City Diner had opened in the former Double T in the same strip mall as above at the top of the pandemic; we finally got around to trying it. Under new ownership the diner retained the general theme of overwhelming multi-page menus, but I was on a mission - EC Diner had bragged about being a contender for the county's best crabcakes, and has a Wednesday special of their crabcake sandwich with a soup or salad and a desert-of-the-month for about their regular price of just the sandwich. I've been meaning to try it, but they only have it for eat-in, which during the pandemic annoyed me into not prioritizing them.

I should explain for non-Marylanders: crabcakes here are a big deal. If you've had a "Maryland-style" crabcake anywhere outside of Maryland (and possibly a handful of DC places, though don't bet on it), you've never had a Maryland crabcake. If it doesn't have large lumps of crab, it's not a Maryland crabcake - at best it's an extra-large appetizer crab ball, which are permitted to exist, but do not deserve the title of crabcake. Or, it got lost on its way from Virginia. If it's seasoned with garlic or parsley or visible amounts of black pepper, it's not a Maryland crabcake. (Maryland crabcakes do have Old Bay in them in various proportions, and often come garnished with more). If it contains vegetables, it's not a Maryland crabcake - Louisiana and the Carolinas get to exist if they must, but should stay in their lane. If it's shaped like a hockey puck rather than a conical heap with identifiable lumps, it might possibly be a Maryland crabcake, but it probably shipped frozen. If there's more binder than crab, it's definitely not a Maryland crabcake, and it should be ashamed of itself. And if you think Marylanders are obsessed with the whole Maryland thing, you are correct, and we're ok with it.

Anyway, the verdict is that the crabcake is worthy - a generous serving for the price, with balanced seasoning and good crab-to-binder ratio with ample lumps. The soup of the day was cream of broccoli, which was fine; the dessert was creme brulee, which I was too full to eat in place, and by the next day it wasn't particularly brulee and I couldn't tell if it ever was crispy, but that aside it tasted good enough. (As far as "best"... possibly best-for-the-price in the casual category. Cozy's was downright disappointing twice; Timbuktu never disappoints but is pricier and not quite in the county for the purists; G&M is the golden standard but is a bit further out, Lee Lynn are pleasant and with the best summer ambiance, Floyd's are overseasoned, and Corner Stable overrated in every way. And Hudson Coastal are so good about every other kind of seafood that can't be found elsewhere that I've not actually tried the crabcakes there yet. Double T used to be very, very good when I first found them, and this is comparable, but they'd skimped on portions and ratios a bit over the years.)

The diner does have some wines and beers and cocktails; we didn't try them this time. They also have milkshakes - both regular and the trendy over-engineered with too many items perched precariously on top. Spouse had a classic milkshake and reviewed it favorably. He also had a Greek salad; when that arrived without the anchovy they apologized for having run out and offered to make something else, but then found the anchovies and by way of an apology served him a double serving of the fishies to add to the salad, so he was ultimately content, too.

Which probably adds up to more going out for meals than I really should indulge in, but lined up is a return to Ram's Head Waterfront for the sunset.

One more successful Balticon under my belt.

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